Iran suspends mediator contacts and strikes Kuwait as one-page Hormuz deal stalls

Iranian state media reported on 1 June that Tehran had stopped exchanging messages with Washington through intermediaries, citing what it described as continued Israeli ceasefire violations in Lebanon. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi sought on 3 June to soften the language, saying “contact with the United States has not been cut off,” but acknowledged that “no progress has been made in the negotiations” — a formulation that encapsulates the hollow state of the diplomatic channel. President Donald Trump dismissed reports of a breakdown as “false and erroneous,” telling ABC News he believed a deal to reopen the strait was reachable “over the next week,” a claim Iranian officials did not echo.

Strikes strain the ceasefire

The communications freeze followed a sharp exchange of blows. US Central Command carried out strikes on Iranian radar and drone-control sites — including, according to Al Jazeera’s 3 June live coverage, targets on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz — after Iran shot down an American drone operating over international waters. Iran responded with drone and missile strikes that shut Kuwait’s international airport briefly, killing one person and wounding dozens, causing what Kuwaiti authorities described as “significant material damage.” Iranian drones also targeted Bahrain. NPR’s 3 June live updates described the exchange as the latest test of a ceasefire that has been fraying since late May. According to Iran’s Ministry of Health, more than 3,400 people have been killed in US-Israeli strikes on Iran since the conflict began in late February, with more than 26,500 injured.

The Security Council has held emergency sessions calling for restraint, but structural veto dynamics have prevented binding resolutions. The IAEA has noted that Iran refused inspections of damaged sites, while separately stating it had found no evidence of an active nuclear weapons programme. Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf signalled hardening domestic sentiment, asserting that “Tehran gains concessions through military pressure rather than dialogue” — a posture that complicates any rapid diplomatic resolution.

The one-page deal and its sticking point

The framework under negotiation — reported in detail by Axios and CNBC in late May — envisaged a 60-day ceasefire extension during which Iran would clear mines it deployed in the strait, the US would lift its blockade on Iranian ports, and limited sanctions waivers would allow Tehran to export oil freely. Nuclear questions would be deferred to a subsequent negotiating track. Trump sent the draft memorandum of understanding back to Iran demanding amendments, with his team insisting the strait be open immediately, with “no tolls, for unrestricted shipping traffic.” Iran and Oman have argued that service fees may be levied after an initial period, a gap that has hardened into the principal sticking point. This publication previously reported that the ceasefire was on massive life support as the Hormuz-first demand stalled the one-page deal; subsequent events have validated that assessment.

Mediation has been spread across several channels. Oman, which hosted indirect talks in Muscat in February, remains the primary venue. Qatar and Pakistan have also played active roles: Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir and senior Qatari officials facilitated recent rounds, while Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif credited Riyadh’s influence in encouraging US restraint on Hormuz escort operations. The fragmentation of the mediating function — and the reliance on indirect rather than direct dialogue — has created uncertainty about whether both sides are negotiating from identical texts, according to analysis by the Soufan Center.

With strikes continuing, communications in name only, and the one-page framework stalled over the Hormuz sequencing question, the diplomatic window that briefly appeared to open in late May looks considerably narrower three weeks on.